# Danielle Jawando

Danielle Jawando (born 1988) is an English writer best known for her young adult novels. Her second novel When Our Worlds Collided (2022) won the Jhalak Prize and the YA Book Prize.

## Early life and education

Jawando was born in Manchester in 1988 to an Irish-Nigerian father and an Irish-Ghanaian mother. Her father also has Brazilian heritage through his grandfather. Jawando attended Oakwood High School (now Chorlton High School). She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in 2009 and a Master of Arts (MA) in 2012, both in Creative Writing from the University of East London (UEL). After completing her MA, Jawando pursued a Post-Graduate Certificate (PGCE) at the University of Greenwich. She later received the 2021 Alumni Change Maker Award from UEL.

## Career

Jawando began her career teaching English and Creative Writing at a further education college (FEC) and started her writing career upon publishing the short story "Paradise 703" for DeadInk. In 2015, Jawando worked as a storyline writer for the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She became an Associate Lecturer in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Roehampton, as well as a Writer-in-Residence at New Writing North.
Jawando got her first agent in 2016. Her short story "The Deerstalker" was a finalist in the 2017 We Need Diverse Books competition. In 2019, she wrote a non-fiction installment of Laurence King Publishing's Little Guides to Great Lives series on Maya Angelou. Jawando signed a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster, through which she published her debut fiction novel And the Stars Were Burning Brightly in 2020. Set in Wythenshawe, the novel follows 15-year-old Nathan who grapples with his older brother Al's suicide. And the Stars Were Burning Brightly won Best Senior Novel at the Great Reads Award and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, the YA Book Prize, the Jhalak Prize, and the Branford Boase Award. It was also longlisted for the Carnegie Medal.
The following year, Jawando's second novel When Our Worlds Collided followed. When Our Worlds Collided won the Jhalak Prize, the YA Book Prize, and the Diverse Book Award.
Jawando then signed another two-book deal with Simon & Schuster, through which she published her third novel If My Words Had Wings. The novel follows a teenager named Tyrell who discovers his voice through spoken word poetry in a young offenders' prison. It explores the disparities within the justice system, mental health and Joint Enterprise. Suzi Feay of Financial Times named If My Words Had Wings one of the best summer 2024 YA novels.

## Publications
### Novels

* And the Stars Were Burning Brightly (2020)
* When Our Worlds Collided (2022)
* If My Words Had Wings (2024)

### Non-fiction

* Maya Angelou (2019)

### Short stories

* "Paradise 703" in DeadInk (2012)
* "The Deerstalker" (2017)

## Awards

Awards for Jawando's writing :
| Year | Title | Award | Category | Result |
| 2021 | And the Stars Were Burning Brightly | YA Book Prize | YA Book Prize | Shortlisted |
| 2021 | And the Stars Were Burning Brightly | Jhalak Prize | Children's and Young Adult | Shortlisted |
| 2021 | And the Stars Were Burning Brightly | Carnegie Medal | | Longlisted |
| 2021 | And the Stars Were Burning Brightly | Waterstones Children's Book Prize | Older Fiction | Shortlisted |
| 2021 | And the Stars Were Burning Brightly | Branford Boase Award | | Shortlisted |
| 2022 | When Our Worlds Collided | Books Are My Bag Readers' Awards | Young Adult Fiction | Shortlisted |
| 2023 | When Our Worlds Collided | Jhalak Prize | Children's and Young Adult | Won |
| 2023 | When Our Worlds Collided | Carnegie Medal | | Longlisted |
| 2023 | When Our Worlds Collided | YA Book Prize | | Won |
| 2023 | When Our Worlds Collided | Diverse Book Awards | YA Fiction | Won |